Superboy
by Saint H
Summary: The Titans have an unruly and loud new member in Superboy. Witness the inner workings of Titan life and Superboy's struggle to become a Titan and overcome the legacy of his namesake. And amidst all this, evil approaches.
1. Seeds of Conflict, 1

_Disclaimer:_ H doesn't own the Teen Titans or any characters copy-written by DC Comics. This includes Superboy, although H has twisted and changed parts of Suberboy's past.

**Warning: **The following story may contain scenes that have mild language, suggestive dialogue, intense situations, and a surplus of textual violence. The story will also contain **_frequently shifting points of view;_** this may cause problems for the motion sick or the dyslectic. Anyone who is too young to or does not wish to read such a story should leave now. Also, in Teen Titans continuity, this takes place before season 4, but a sufficient time after season 3, and yes, it will be taking a much different path. For the rest of you normal and non-Communist people, have fun.

_**Project One: Devil-May-Care**_

**_The Seed of Conflict, Session One_**

The wind tugged at my cape, air rushing past me at a rate fast enough to compare to my pulse. The wheels of my vehicle tugged at the ground beneath, gripping onto it, trying to push it back only to be denied and propelled forward in a joint effort between the tires and the very earth itself. I was rushing along the earth with wings of the air soaring about my cape. It was an exhilarating feeling, only adding to the excitement from the imminent confrontation with the criminals. The blood rushed through my veins and my heart beat quickly as if a fire was burning deep within it, setting all of my limbs ablaze with nervous and excited flames of anticipation for the coming conflict. I approached a turn, and took it, speeding towards the abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city. A few feet off the road to my right was more of the bay. The water that surrounded half of the city was present here as well and the mist came up onto shore and cooled my tense body. I was soon witness to the screech of my own brakes as I un-mounted my R-Cycle. I pulled off my helmet and set it with the machine, then I stood in silence; waited for the rest of the Titans to converge on my point.

My wait was not a long one as a large green crow landed beside me followed closely by an alien girl, followed closely by a speeding T-Car. It rushed up at us and as it grew dangerously close it showed no sign of slowing down...

"Uh, Cyborg's gonna stop." Beast Boy reasurred the nervous... namely himself.

The T-Car drew closer.

"Right?"

Closer.

"R-Right? CYBORG STOP!"

_SCREEECH!_

...only to stop on a dime a few feet in front of us. A cloaked hero along with a mechanical half man stepped out.

The changed crow stated with aggravation obvious in his tone, "Dude! What the hell were you thinking you big dumb hunk of scrap metal! If you had any balls left I'd kick them!"

Cyborg just looked at the changeling with a blank stare, "What're bitchin' about?"

"You nearly ran us over, numb nuts, that's what I'm bitchin' about!" Beast Boy yelled.

"Hey! The T-Car isn't just a regular car, it's _my_ car, my baby, you shouldn't worry about it." Cyborg responded to Beast Boy.

"Boys…" Raven droned.

"Please, do not fight! We are here to subdue the intruders and reassure the peace back into undisturbance."

"What?"

"BB, she means kick the bad guys butts and restore order. Duh."

"Oh, I knew that!"

"Boys… and aliens."

"Quiet." I stated with a slight air of authority while squinting behind my eyemask, and the bickering stopped, albeit begrudgingly.

I walked forward a step and gazed at the warehouse, then turned around and addressed the other Titans. "Does everyone know what they're doing?"

"Cyborg, Beast Boy and I are moving in through the west entrance." Raven answered.

"Then we take out any hostile enemies and secure any stray metantrium." Cyborg added.

"Then, you and I shall come into the house of ware by way of the front entrance, also looking for the metantrium and kicking the butt of the villains." Starfire recited in my direction.

"Good, and remember, if anyone needs help, call out for the backup." I replied.

"Oh dude!" the changeling giggled, "It is so cool having backup! Hey! Robin you should call him and be like, _'Gah help, a tentacle monster has Star and I've taken eight bullets!' _And while he's freaking out and going to you guys, we'll call and be like _'OMGuuush! We're being eaten alive by Canadians! Help!'_ And he won't have any damn clue what to do! Ha ha!"

Raven, Cyborg and I were glaring daggers at the shape shifter.

"Please, what is this monster of tentacles? It sounds most amusing!" the alien girl said bouncily.

Beast Boy snickered under his breath. I gave him a Boy Wondrous smack upside the head.

"Good job Beast Boy, you've inadvertently made Starfire sound like a whore _again!_" Raven exclaimed.

Cyborg laughed, Beast Boy snickerd, Starfire began asking about what she had done, Raven was on the verge of breaking her calm.

Man, we were out of it.

"**Titans!**" I roared, "Can we please just act professional! I know the beat has been easy lately but this is serious! Now, lets move!" I commanded as everyone left besides Starfire. She and I approached the front entrance masked in silence. I paused.

"What is it Robin?" the fiery girl asked curiously, green eyes peering at me.

"I better make sure we do have our backup." I said cautiously, whipping out my communicator.

S-S-S-S

I sat down on the rooftop, my back resting against an A/C unit. I let out an excited and nervous sigh. Sure I had busted up crime before. But that was just small stuff from my tiny hometown. Ever sense I came here the to the 'big city' its been missing any real action. From my position I glanced down at the city that stretched out wide in front of me. I saw Robin on the R-Cycle coming up quick, and my alien and shape shifting teammates flying to the rendezvous from their distant position in the evening sky. I closed my eyes and took a deep, calming breath. I opened them again and looked at my costume.

I have no idea were it came from! Clark just gave it to me before he threw me in with these psychos! It had red, fingerless gloves that came up to my elbows. There it met blue that traveled the rest of the way up my arms to my shoulders and then enveloped my lower torso down to my waist. My upper torso, being my shoulders, my collar bone and my neck were the same red as my gloves, just like my legs and boots were. And, of course, in the center of my chest were red met blue was that unmistakable symbol. I don't see why I had to wear it, I could have done just as well with another alias! But no, of course I have to wear the same dumb old-

"_Superboy!" _Robin's voice crackled through my communicator. _"Superboy, we're ready, are you in position?" _

My hands darted to my belt as I pulled out the communicator and responded, "Yep, I'm up on the roof and bored out of my mind. How're all you jerks down there doing?" I asked with a slightly sour tone.

_Starfire and I are about to enter the building, the others have most likely done so already. I just wanted to make sure that you were ready in case one team bites off more than it can chew. Though I hope we don't have to use you so soon into your Titan career." _Robin responded.

"Yeah, well that's the difference between you and me Robin. I will be sincerely piss mad if I don't get to throw some punches tonight! I've been here for a week and a half now and all I've done has been weight train and run that damnable thing you say is an obstacle course." I complained.

"_Oh, don't worry Superboy, I'm sure you'll have your hands full soon enough. Remember, be prepared to respond to our calls! Robin out!"_

"Sure thing Robin, Superboy out." I sighed.

Man, I just hated being called Super_boy_.

_R-R-R-R_

I was in back. It was the logical position considering my powers. Following that logical ideal was the rest of my team. Cyborg was at the head, for reasons obvious. Beast Boy was between the two of us, he would provide the secondary blow to the hostilities we would surely meet in this dimly lit stereotypical battleground. Cyborg was looking at a screen on his arm.

"Scans for metantrium are showing large amounts ahead, but… they're moving."

"Moving?" I questioned.

"Yeah, I can't quite make it out, there are about three large groups moving erratically around an area consisting of a few rooms."

"Maybe they're having a big metalmanzium orgy or something?"

"Shut up Beast Boy." Cyborg and I reflexively responded.

"Wha- oh so you two are both working against me now?"

"Beast Boy, _please_ be silent, the element of surprise is something we should hold in high value." I said.

"Yea, what she said, plus you're just really annoying and I want you to shut up." the titanium Titan smirked at his green friend.

"Cy, I can't believe you're taking Raven's side!" the shape shifter complained to his comrade.

The android's glance and mine met each other, we wickeded wickedly.

"Uh, Cy? Raven? I don't like that look on your faces. Hey, Whu-"

Cyborg grabbed the changeling's arms as I prepared a black magic gag for his mouth.

R-R-R-R

_Clink, clink, clink_

The steady monotone of my boots meeting the cement floors echoed throughout our section of the humongous warehouse. Starfire floated just behind my person. She was a little close for comfort, human comfort that is. Needless to say that after the long time she's been with the Titans, I had gotten used to her 'odd social graces' by now.

"Hmm," Starfire started, "Robin? Why is it that we are always doing battle in one of the houses of ware?"

I stopped my walking down the long, dark section of building, "Starfire. Y'know, I don't know."

I had never noticed that before... huh, leave it to an alien.

We resumed our walking, not long later I was watching my communicator. It was showing me the same thing that Cyborg had seen earlier, although I was unaware of that fact.

"Robin, please, wh-what manner of trespassers are we going to be dealing with tonight?" Starfire inquired, an after taste of nervousness was evident in her voice.

"Don't know Starfire, I'm willing to bet it's a gang though."

"Why are you willing to gamble that Robin?"

"Well Starfire, metantrium is often used in bom-"

"**Freeze!"**

I twirled around to the source of the voice, wielding two bird-a-rangs in front of me. Starfire was facing them, hands and eyes aglow with green might.

The three or four figures in the dark let out a collective sigh. "Oh, it's just you Titans." said the voice. They stepped into the light so we could see them… security guards.

"You," I addressed the leader, "what happened here?"

"A-an ambush! We had nearly twenty guards when they attacked. Gang thugs a-and a few supervillains I think! We responded as best we could but we were out numbered and out gunned! Three of our men were downed in the initial strike, some of our m-men should be spread about the warehouse, but I have no idea as to how many."

Starfire's fair features set themselves into a detrimined scowl, and I'm suer my own scowl deepened into something relatively demonic.

_Supervillains, great just what we needed to see. Looks like the rookie will get his wish tonight._

S-S-S-S

From my vantage point atop the warehouse, the watery stretches of the bay flowed gently in the evening sun, glinting and sloshing about in a quite, tranquil sight. A gentle breeze graced my body with its coolness as the sun approached the horizon. The distant honk of horns and general urban life reached my ears in a phantom-like, disorienting, hypnotic fashion. The whole surreal scene was meant for a postcard. It was the kind of place that you always saw on TV; the final scene before the credits where the main character and their significant other for the season would hold and romanticize one another.

Talk about gay.

I paced back and forth, bored out of my skull. I began to wish I had brought my cd player, or maybe a deck of cards to pass the time. Of course, I didn't really have playing cards, hell I couldn't even play solitaire, but the tedious act of doing nothing had worn me beyond my last shred of patience. I needed something to do. I glanced around the rooftop. An a/c unit or two, some roof, and some more roof.

"Great." I moaned. I glanced down at the rocks by the bay. A grin of hope played across my lips. My head swiveled about looking for a sign of anyone looking. None were found. With a smirk my gaze returned to the shore.

_VO-VOOSH_

I stood at the same place I had a half-second before, with an armful of rocks. I set them down on the roof beneath me, and picked up a flat, smooth one. Turning to the glossy, shining bay I flicked my wrist. The stone traveled through the air like a miniature frisbee for a few moments before it hit the water and began skipping. I counted. Eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve… fourteen. I snorted, unimpressed. I bent down and rummaged around the rocks for a second or two before returning with a similar stone. I concentrated ever so slightly on my wrist and fingers, looked out at the dazzling, reflective bay. "Take this you-you big, stinking, wet… bay!" and I flicked my wrist again and the stone darted like a bullet towards the water and began to skip in a rapid fashion into the amber distance of the sunset. Still I counted. Nine, ten… fifteen, sixteen, seventeen… twenty three, twenty four… thirty, exactly. Or at least that's how many I counted before it went beyond my sight.

_Too bad Clark isn't here, he could've kept track of that thing till it reached Belgium. They don't call him super for nothing, although I think it's gone to his head…_

As I fell out of my thoughts I glanced down at the communicator on my belt. My brow furrowed as if glaring at it would somehow make Robin or the others call for help. Of course, it didn't, but that didn't stop me from trying. I was Superman's cousin after all.

And so, the epic staring contest between the communicator and I started.

With a sigh I rummaged around for another flat, smooth stone.

**?-?-?-?**

_FLASH_

"HA!" I yelled as I sent a blast of my power at another gang thug, sending him sprawling. As I turned my gaze I saw that creepy guy with a spider for a head and the even creepier biker thug taking on a few left over guards. The two were needed for… grunt purposes.

I just wish they had better hygiene.

My head pivoted once again and I saw my good old friend plowing some more gang thugs over with his massive brawn. I didn't bother to look for our other member, he would be in some dark corner waiting to steal what we came here for instead of straight up fighting for it. As long as he got the job done, I really didn't care how he got it. I turned my back as my three other teammates let out a large battle cry and demolished the last group of unfortunate soldiers.

Boys…

I glanced out the window. The sunset looked gorgeous reflecting off the bay. As I took our chunk of metantrium out of its satchel I smirked, "The money we make off you is going to be even more gorgeous, little one."

It was then that it caught my eye. The tiniest of disturbances. Something… on the water.

"Fang and Rancid found another group with some of the stuff, they already went to take it, but I don't trust them to get the job done on their own, we need to go." A gruff voice came from behind me. I ignored it for the moment.

I squinted, what was that, on the water?

My eyes widened in realization and I clenched my fist.

"Hope you're feeling frisky." my soft voice enunciated, "The Titans are here."

His teeth gritted and his eyes narrowed dangerously. A quiet growl formed in his throat, "Where are they?"

"One of them is on the roof of this building, I'm not sure which one, but it's probably the little green one. Go take care of him, I'll help the testosterone twins and make sure they don't get killed."

"Why would he be up on the roof though?" my loyal friend questioned. What a simple, lovable oaf.

"Probably as a surprise, backup maybe. Now hurry, before the Titans make their entrance to the fight and flush us and them out, and the goods along with it." My velvet voice purred strictly.

_Only that green fool would be dumb enough to skip rocks so that someone might see them._

"Of coarse." The big oaf said with a nod of his head as he went on his way to the roof.

I grinned. There wasn't much in the world of villains besides money, fighting, and plotting. But, that oaf wasn't only useful and loyal, he was almost like a little br…

_Wait, can't take time to think those thoughts, Rancid and Fang are probably half dead by now. I swear they're next to useless. I might as well have hired Dr. Light.  
_

I turned towards the doorway, shot power into my boots and sprinted into the fray with unnatural speed.

_FLASH!_

_STCHIIII!_


	2. Seeds of Conflict, 2

**_Seeds of Conflict, Session Two_**

_Thud_

I sat down on the ground, the last of the usable rocks skipped, and the rest thrown into the bay with much vigor. Despite my best effort the bay was still big, still stinking, still wet. Still postcard perfect, everything it was supposed to be. In fact it had become even more picturesque due to the orange, red, and purples of the setting sun. For what seemed like hundredth time that day I sighed. I fidgeted uncomfortably from my perch on the roof.

"I just wish something would happen!" I exclaimed exasperatedly to no one.

A breath of wind blew over me, actually chilling my bones.

"Careful what you wish for kid." came a gruff voice from the other side of the roof.

I jumped up immediately, my head on a swivel as I searched for the source of the voice.

"Who's there?" I shouted into the twilight.

"Hehehe. Nobody here but us Mammoths!" the voice said as a gigantic figure, silhouetted by the twilight, vaulted over the side of the building and landed on the roof twenty feet in front me, cement cracking under his massive impact.

"Just who the hell are you? Wait, don't answer, doesn't matter. All I need to know is that you've got the first ass I'm gonna kick in this city!" I grin maliciously, cracking my knuckles.

"Right, like I haven't heard that before." the behemoth bellowed, "Anyway, you're not who I was expecting, but it doesn't matter. I know you're with the Titans, and I know I've got to get rid of you. Time for round one! Rauugh!" he let out a war cry as he charged me. He was fast, for a big guy. I wasn't expecting speed from this opponent, so all I had time to do was flinch before he-

**BAM!**

sent me soaring through twilight air. The blow had racked my whole body with pain. I would have screamed but the wind had left my lungs. I soon shattered the golden surface of the bay causing a tower of water to erupt into the air that could be seen half the city away. Screw Kryptonite, cheap shots were my big weakness.

"Heh, one hit K.O. For a guy with an **S** on his chest he sure was easy." Mammoth grunted, cracking his knuckles. He turned his back to my watery grave with a victorious smirk on his face. The walking hunk of brawn started to head back to his teammates.

_SPLASH!_

"Huh-"

He turned around to see my furious, and wet, face an inch away from his. He stumbled back away from my hovering figure in surprise. I cracked my neck and flew behind him faster than a speeding bullet, then I brought my arm around his neck a placed him in a super-strong headlock. He gagged and struggled. I concentrated just a little and I, with the brute in tow, rose higher and higher into the air. He reached his huge hands to his neck and gripped my arm, trying to pry it free, to no avail. His brow furrowed and he gagged again, putting more strength into his pull. It started to pry his neck free slowly, and he gasped for his breath. I frowned and concentrated, my arm subsequently snapped back around his neck even tighter than before, cutting him off in the middle of a deep breath.

"If I was you I'd stop struggling and not waste my breath." I seethed through clenched teeth, my body trembling with exhilaration "It's time to start round two!"

I grunted, somersaulted in midair, and hurled him at the roof of the warehouse below.

**CRASH!**

C-C-C-C

"RAUUURRGH!"

_ZAP!_

Three of the ambushing baddies flew back from my sonic cannon. I smirked as two crates encased in glowing ebony flew overhead and crashed into two villains who were taking aim at me.

"Watch yourself Cyborg, I'm not always going to there to save your neck." Raven said sarcastically.

I smirked, "Somebody's enjoying herself. But don't forget who's doing the real butt kicking here Rae."

"What the!" a thug cried confusedly.

We both looked over to see four armed baddies being tossed to various places across the room by a large green rhino. It halted and morphed back into a grinning elf, "Oh yea! Running riot!"

"Not bad BB!" I complemented, giving him a high five.

"I liked him better with the gag." Raven droned.

"Tch, whatever Raven, you know you're impressed by my show of masculiness!" Beast Boy said, flexing his muscles.

I had to laugh at that.

"Impressed by a scrawny green elf with stringy arms, maybe if I was drunk. And fyi, it's masculinity." she replied cynically.

"She got you there man." I added.

"Dude, most uncool."

_cl-clank, cl-clank, cl-clank_

We all turned our heads to see a whole mess of disheveled and heavily armed villains sprinting madly towards our location.

Needless to say, I sweat dropped.

"Okay y'all, it's time to get to work!"

I aimed my sonic cannon, Raven encased two more crates in her mystic ebony, and Beast Boy turned into an emerald tiger, "Titans g-"

_POW! THWACK! FLASH!_

A series of bright flashes and exploding crates fills the area where the baddies had been. A few lie scattered across the floor. The other Titans and I were wide eyed and confused at the sudden show of power. A few baddies got up and slowly, shakily reassembled. As the smoke cleared the frames of two well built figures were outlined.

"Well, well, the Titans!" a familiar voice growled.

"Or a few of them anyway." Another voice said.

"I don't care how many there are as long as I get to tear 'em apart!" a tall, strong figure with the familiar voice roared.

"Just leave enough for me to suck the juice out of." said the other odd figure with a perversely shaped head.

"Now boys." a velvet voice started, accompanied by the materialization a smaller frame, "Don't be so hasty. We didn't come here to smash people. We came here to cash in. Its bad enough these idiots got in our way." The undeniably feminine figure gestured to some fallen thugs and the ones who were slowly beginning to regroup.

I gasped, my human eye widening in shock, "It-It's you?"

"Hmmm, I'm flattered Stone, really." Jinx said stepping out of the smoke.

The tiger next to me gasped, as well as a tiger can gasp. I could sense Raven's brow furrowing behind me.

She had had quite the makeover. Her pink hair was now let down and grown a little longer. A few pink bangs hung in front of her immaculate, pale face, the rest cascading down between her shoulder blades. She wore a black, skin-tight, jumpsuit and combat boots. It looked real hot on her, though I'd never admit it. Another accessory that I almost overlooked was a gray satchel hung over her left shoulder.

"If you're done socializing with the enemy, I'd like to eat them now!" Fang said, stepping forward on four spidery legs, his mandibles all but drooling.

"Hey, we didn't come here to whore ourselves or pig out. Let's get the stuff!" Johnny Rancid exclaimed, making his appearance and waving an arm at the thugs.

The two male villains, despite being a little battered and bruised and soaked in sweat, were looking rather usual, for themselves at least. Rancid was wearing his usual outfit along with a black leather jacket and his biker helmet. His right hand clutched the black handle of his odd silver revolver, whose barrel was thick and elongated. His jacket and pants were torn here and there, and there was dried blood around his nose. Fang was, well, Fang. A few of his eyes were bruised, and he had bruises on his human arms and torso. His white wife-beater was practically in shreds and his blue jeans were torn in several places.

"JUST SHUT UP AND DIE YOU FREAKS!" one of the baddies yelled hysterically and began firing his weapon erratically. Soon his bad-guy-buddies were in on the act of sending hot lead flying at the six of us.

Raven put up a shield in front of Beast Boy and herself. Rancid flung his fleshy tattooed mass behind one crate just as I threw my large metallic mass behind another. Fang leapt on spidery legs to the ceiling and charged the thugs. Jinx began to lazily cartwheel through the barrage of bullets.

"LETS SEE YOU FREAKS DODGE THIS!" a demented thug yelled, pulling out a rocket launcher.

As he took aim in our general area Fang dropped from the ceiling in front of him.

"Boo."

"AAAH!" the henchman screamed, face contorting in suprise.

The arachnid stuck the rocket-toting villain to the far wall with a shot of web. This distracted the other guns long enough for the rest of us to provide a follow up strike. Jinx flipped up in the air from one of her cartwheels and flung two jinx-blasts at the thugs.

_FLASH FLASH!_

They caught two baddies right in the chests and sent them flying back hard into the wall where they sat, sizzling.

"More's been upgraded besides her look." The shape shifter said, oggleing wide-eyed at the witch's display of power. My eye glared.

"RAUUURGH!" I came out from behind my cover and let a blue blast fly into a crowd of thugs.

_ZAP!_

"Azarath, Metrione, Zinthos!" the mystic girl chanted as she sent a duo of crates barreling into four trigger-happy baddies.

_CR-CRACK!_

One hired-gun who was barely spared from Raven's assault looked over warily at his crushed and unconcious teammates. Eye twitching wildly the man lost all control. He sprinted forward, screaming hysterically and firing around at random corners of the warehouse in a maddening frenzy accompained by a cry of, "DIE!"

_THUD!_

A green gorilla fist made contact with his face, rendering him unconscious. The emerald gorilla looked up from the body and snorted at two nearby cowering thugs. He quickly stepped forward and bashed their heads together with his meaty gorilla palms. He chuckled apely until he felt a cold cylinder placed against his neck.

"This ain't no tranquilizer, you green punk!" shouted the shotgun wielding villain.

I sprinted forward in a blur of blue cybernetics and a glint of flashing metal.

_BAM!_

"Ooof!" he exhaled as he felled back from my metallic punch.

"C'mon dude, that threat was just lame." I taunted the downed thug.

Fang spider-sprinted across the ceiling as Jinx dived and flipped her way through deafening bullet fire. Fang shot out a thin spray of web at a collected group of firing thugs. It hit them and tangled them up with it's sticky weight.

"Hey!" shouted one of the trapped baddies.

"What the Hell?" said another.

"Help!" one cried.

Jinx silenced them.

_FLASH! FLASH! FL-FLASH! FLASH!_

The whole group of webbed baddies slumped down in a mass of sizzling pain.

In the mean time Raven, Beast Boy, and I had regrouped.

I turned my gaze sharply towards the changeling, "Beast Boy, lets do it!" I barked.

With an affirmative wink he leapt forward and sprinted in cheetah form towards me. I kneeled down as he leapt onto my back and sprang forward as a kangaroo. He rolled in midair and crashed into a hostile collection of thugs as a raging bull. Raven and I moved forward for the secondary strike.

_BLAM!_

_ZAP, ZAP!_

_FOOSH!_

The disoriented enemy was dispatched by my cannon fire and a few bits of levitating debris.

And then after the overwhelming shouts and bangs of battle, everything was dealthy quiet. We three Titans, Fang, and Jinx stood around the same general area, unconcious thugs laying around our feet. There was a mutual feeling of being pretty damn badass, until Raven broke the camaraderie that is.

"You two do remember that they're villains too, right?"

"Oh uh, yeah. We knew that." Beast Boy and I answered our dark friend in embarassed unison.

"I don't care if you're allies or not, **you're gonna share the same graves!"** the thugs' leader yelled as a hidden pocket of resistance came out of hiding and let fly another wall of deadly lead. We all dove for cover in one manner or another. Fang on the ceiling, Raven behind her shield, Beast Boy as a turtle in his shell… behind a large stack of crates, Jinx behind forklift and I… behind the same forklift.

_Great._

"Brings back memories huh Stone?" her decadent voice rang in my ears clearly through the bullet fire. She leaned towards me, her face two inches from mine as she put a dainty palm on my metal chest.

"What are you talking about? We've never fought together outside the first HIVE Academy!"

She leaned closer until her lips were touching my ear softly, she purred quietly, "I never said the memories were about combat, sexy."

"Uh, uh, CHARGE!" I yelled awkwardly before vaulting from behind the forklift, and thus from the witches seductive grasp, and firing wildly at the source of the gunfire.

_ZAP! _

Only to be met with a raging wall of bullets,

_RRRRATATATATATA!_

"AAAH!" I shrieked.

_RUMBLE!_

The forklift I had been hiding behind moments earlier was barreling towards our attackers. I was tackled behind the cover of a few crates by none other than Jinx. I then accured to me that she had cursed the forklift into motion.

"You've got some guts!" she said on top of me, "I like that! Maybe I'll get to see if you've got some ba-"

**BOOM!**

One of the thugs had thrown a grenade into the driver's seat of the speeding vehicle, blowing it sky-high in a tower of flame and destruction.

"We need something to distract them!" Raven could be heard over the gunfire.

"Like what?" I yelled back.

_POW POW POW!_

Three red flashes exploded around the baddies, sending a few flying and distracting the others. From his vantage point on the support beams Rancid laughed as his laser-revolver smoked before he twirled it back into it's holster.

"Forget about me wusses?" he smirked menacingly down at the thugs

"You five, keep firing! The rest of you…" the leader commanded and turned back to Rancid and aimed his weapon. Many thugs did the same. Rancid cracked his knuckles and put his hand down near his gun as if to draw. The thugs started to sweat, their trigger fingers flexing. Rancid cracked one side of his neck, then the other.

"…" The baddies tensed.

"…" Rancid blinked.

"…" Thugs sweated.

"…" Rancid's fingers flexed.

Rancid smirked and brought his hand forward in slo-mo and aimed his laser-revolver at the villains… but it was too slow.

_RRRRATATATATATA!_

But Rancid had kicked his own feet out at the same time he drew his weapon. He was now parallel with the support beam in midair with hot bullets streaking a few inches above him as gravity was tugging his body downward. His gun was aimed at his enemy. He pulled the trigger.

_POW POW POW P-POW!_

The chamber spun around automatically sending rapid-fire laser blasts zooming out of the elongated barrel. Eleven or twelve thugs went flying, the rest were shaken up. Jinx and I stepped out from behind our cover.

_ZAP! FLASH!_

So had Raven apparently as two crates flew overhead.

_FOOSH FOOSH!_

_CRASH CRASH!_

And an emerald rhino and a spider-head charged forward to deliver the final blow.

_BAM! CRACK!_

As the six of us all assembled around the fallen fighters I couldn't help but be proud.

Damn was I a dumbass.

_POW!_

"UGH!" I flew backwards from the blast and slammed hard into a wall.

_CRASH!_

"Wh-what the? Rancid!" I seethed at the biker.

"Heh, thanks for the help, but now it's time for you kids to back off!" he said, blowing smoke away from the barrel of his weapon.

"Or maybe it's time for you to become dinner!" Fang threatened us hungrily, his mandables flexing in hunger.

"Be quiet you two." Jinx commanded. She stepped up to the unconscious body of their leader. She reached into a pouch on his belt and produced a glowing, light blue stone. She opened up her satchel and placed it in there along with a similar stone.

"Metantrium!" I exclaimed at the sight of glowing rocks.

"Precisely Stone. We came for it, and that's the only reason we came!" she said to her teammates as much as us.

"Ah, c'mon babe, just let us have a little fun! Besides they'll just slow us down later! Now way the Titans'd let criminals like us go free." Rancid coaxed.

"I think you're wrong Johnny-boy." Jinx purred as she sashayed right up to me and leaned upwards on her tip-toes. "I think Mr. Stone would be gentlemanly enough to let us go." She said tracing a finger around my titanium chest.

I grabbed her wrist exaggeratedly to make it look excessively harsh. Although I had gripped her firmly, it was actually a careful grip. What can I say, I am a gentleman, in a half-robot, butt-kicking sorta way.

"No way in Hell Jinx. Hand over the metantrium and turn yourselves over peacefully." I commanded firmly.

She scrunched her face up into a pout, "Stone, Stone, Stone." She jinxed her wrist, burning my metallic grip lose and making me step back. With a graceful leap back to her comrades she taunted, "I just don't know what to do with you."

"Good thing we know what to do with the three of you." a gray-eyed Raven threatened as she lifted multiple pieces of debris with her ebony telekinesis.

Beast Boy morphed into a green tiger. I raised my sonic cannon up.

Jinx charged hex in her hands. Rancid aimed his laser-revolver. Fang looked... Fang-like.

Our two groups glared one another down. Eyes squinted, muscles tensed, brows began to sweat. Everyone anticipating the first blow, none of us expected it to come from where it did though.

**_KRAKA-CRASH!_**

R-R-R-R

_BANG BANG!_

_RRRRATATATATA!_

"Robin! More are arriving, we need you're help!" A guard said frantically as he dove behind a crate next to me, reloading his weapon.

"Just a sec." I stated off-handedly as I flipped over the crate, sprinted towards a group of five gang thugs, hurled an explosive disk, and whipped out my bo staff.

The thugs stopped their firing at the dodging Starfire and turned to face me, far too late. The disc exploded at their feet sending two flying backwards and blinding the remaining three with smoke. I jumped through the smoke with a midair roundhouse kick to two thug faces.

_SM-SMACK!_

The last gangster glared at me. I twirled my bo staff in an unnecessarily flashy fashion and then swung it upside his head as he tried to bring up his weapon to fire upon me.

CRACK!

With these villains downed I glanced over in Starfire's direction.

What was left of a small group of thugs was shooting at her flying form. She simply fired off two glowing eye beams knocking one gangster back into another. Then she swiftly streaked forward and flung a barrage of starbolts.

_TZAAT! TZAAT!  
_

She then turned in midair and flew back to land beside me as I approached the guard from before, dusting my hands off, "I'm sorry, I was in the middle of something, what did you say?"

"Bad guys! Lots! More! Need help! Come! Now!" the stupified guard said in frightened monotone.

"Gotcha, let go Starfire!"

"Yes! We must stop the villains!"

We set off, my boots clanking and her form soaring gracefully beside me.

After a minute and a half of traveling we arrived at the section of the humongous warehouse the guard was talking about. In short, it was utter chaos. The guards armed only with non-lethal rounds were virtually in full retreat.

From our unseen position observing the fight, Starfire blinked and said, "Robin, I believe that our allied marksmen are receiving the shaft, yes?"

A slight smirk play across my face for a moment, "Starfire, lets beat up some thugs." I said with a glance at the alien girl.

She smiled pleasantly, "Agreed."

She took to the air, dodging hot lead and flinging starbolts down at her would-be killers, while I dashed towards the scene with all the speed I could muster. I jumped over the heads of two fleeing guards and landed on the head of a gangster only to push off, shoving him headlong into the floor.

_SMACK! CRACK!_

I came down on another thug with a spinning kick. I rolled forward to escape several speeding bullets and as I stopped I performed a spinning kick, felling three thugs hard. I stood up, took a breath, and then vaulted a crate that had come to resemble swiss cheese. I whipped out two bird-a-rangs in each hand and threw them forward at a large column of gangsters.

_SWISWISWISWISWISWISWISWI-SL-SL-SLICE!_

They weaved in and out dicing up various firearms and left shocked gangsters unarmed. I leapt into the air and kicked both legs out, KOing two thugs.

_SMACK!_

I hit the floor running and karate chopped one gangster in the neck and spun around gave another a one, two punch.

_BLAM! B-BAM!_

One brave thug charged me from behind with a fist. I backflipped, caught his wrist in midair, landed, and hurled his mass behind me at two other gang soldiers, knocking them all out cold. I sprinted forward and whipped out my bow staff and twirled it violently as I charged the few villains left unarmed from my bird-a-rang assault. I twirled the staff around striking gangsters in their heads, necks, shoulders, and legs. After the twirling show of violence I spun around once for good measure still twirling my bo staff and came to a stopped in an unnecessary kung fu pose.

But I shouldn't have stopped.

Four thugs were standing in front of me, four thugs who still had guns! I retracted the staff and placed it in my belt. I stepped back as they approached with arrogant grins on their faces. I smirked inwardly, dumbasses.

_SWISWISWISWI-SL-SL-SL-SLICE!_

I caught the four returning bird-a-rangs in my outstretched hands and placed them back in my belt with a smirk. The dumb gangsters looked down to see the barrels of their guns completely hacked off. Their sad villain gazes met mine as I threw myself at them in a flurry of rage-filled, ass tearing kung fu.

_SMACK! BLAM! TWACK! BAM!_


	3. Seeds of Conflict, finale

_**Seeds of Conflict, Finale**_

"RAURGH!"

_SMACK!_

"HAH!"

_BLAM!_

"AHRGG!"

_POW!_

"ARUGAAAAA!"

_BAM!_

Mammoth was sent stumbling backwards from my last uppercut. He quickly regained his footing. We had thrown punches, kicks, and random heavy objects at each other for a few minutes, and then we got tired and just started trading fists, until now that is.

The world around us halted, we both took a moment to stare the other down and catch our breath.

He smirked.

I frowned.

We charged.

"AAAH!"/"RAUURGH!"

_SWOOSH! BAM!_

_THWACK!_

_POW!_

_CR-CRACK!_

Silhouetted against the golden sky of the setting sun, it was hard to tell who did what when looking on. But for the two of us it was clear as day.

He had swung first, and I had ducked. My right fist met his chin hard in an uppercut. He had then brought both hands down on my back hard, and the concrete of the roof had rushed up to meet my face with a sickening noise. I quickly jumped up and delivered a one, two punch to the towering villains chest. He grunted and glared at me as I rushed forward through the air.

_SMACK! THUD!_

My shoulder was imbedded in his torso the concussion from the blow knocking the wind from his lungs and causing him to slide back a few yards, but he had caught my rocketing body at the same time. He winced and grinned at once while I gasped.

_SWOOSH SWOOSH SWOOSH!_

He began to spin and I began to experience vertigo. The brute grinned maliciously and tossed me viciously into a nearby a/c unit, demolishing it beyond repair.

My ears were ringing.

I looked up dizzily.

My concentration was lost from a minor concussion, and my powers evanesced along with it. My eyes squinted in an effort to clear my murky vision and make out the approaching blurred figure. It came to a stop in front of me, grasped my skull harshly, digging into my head with strong, meaty fingers, and lifted me a few feet off the roof. I flinched with pain yelped with pain while I looked at what must have been my assailant's face.

Thru the pain and assault I concentrated, clearing my mind, and the picture came into focus. The ringing in my ears morphed into Mammoths deep belly laugh. He looked at my now stoic glare and frowned. He brought up a large, menacing fist to strike me, but before he could make contact with my handsome face I lifted my hand and caught it.

_THUD!_

The villain blinked in surprise._  
_

He let go of my cranium and sent his other fist at me.

_THUD!_

I caught that one too. Floating in the air palming his massive fist, I smirked. I gripped hard and pushed his hands back, kneeling him. He let out a grunt of pain. Smirk widened into full-blown grin of triumph as I brought a knee up hard into his cringing face. Letting blood flow in the chilled air.

_THWACK!_

He soared up into the now black and purple sky. Dim moonlight fell on us as I aerially sped up to him with ease and sent a gut-busting fist right in his stomach.

_BLAM!_

"Oof!"

He went flying and crashed into the shore loudly. He skidded along miserably for a moment before sliding to an injured halt with a moan.

After a moment of tense silence, I landed before him ruggedly, my arms crossed.

I smirked at his unmoving form, "Looks like you can take your one hit KO and blow it out your as-"

His next move was fast, almost too fast for me to follow.

"ROOAAR!" his rejuvenated figure cried fiercely into the night before pouncing on top of me. I kneeled under his great weight, wincing with pain as he planted his feet and used his height as leverage to suffocate me between his muscled mass and the sandy beach. I frowned with determination as I concentrated hard and felt more super-strength rush to my exhausted limbs. With a roar of my own I sent the hefty warrior sailing through the air towards a large truck in the parking lot not too far from the beach, the sand about me spiraling upwards around my sweating form as the air stirred up from the great heave was great.

_CRASH!_

I crossed my arms, hovered a few inches above the ground, and slowly floated over to my adversary was underneath a pile of twisted metal and concrete. "So, had enough yet punk?"

The truck rose to the air in a quick shift of weight.

My head cocked in confusion, "Whu-"

And flew straight at my hovering figure.

_SLAM!_

I was sent careening off across the blacktop, the weight of the car crashing into me before the mass came to a sparking stop. My blue eyes closed, and my head fell to the ground.

A bruised and battered Mammoth stood up and wiped some blood dribbling from his lower lip. "Take that, Superwuss." He said, dusting his hand off. He turned away, and headed back towards the warehouse. Car alarms and the shocked reaction of citizens the only noice accompanying his heavy footfalls.

My blue eyes opened, and my brows furrowed.

"RAUUURGH!" I lifted up the now totaled vehicle and hurled it at the behemoth.

His head turned back just in time, "Whu-"

_THAWK!_

He grunted as the projectile soared hard into the middle of his back, causing him to fall on the blacktop. A growl gurgled deep in the brute's throat and he swatted hard at the now poor excuse for a vehicle, sending spare parts flying through the air and littering the parking lot.

He got to his feet, and I got to mine.

He glared.

I glared.

Citizens ran and screamed.

My attention momentarily shifted to the fleeing people. I was a superhero, shouldn't I be, y'know, moving this to somewhere people won't get hurt?

_And turn up free publicity? Yeah, right._

My mind could have chosen a better time to wander because I soon found Mammoth's mammoth shoulder right in my face.

_BLAM!_

I was sent flying backwards into the blacktop and came to a skidding halt. Standing up woosily, I looked up to see my charging adversary. Looking around quickly, I lifted a nearby (parked)limo, and just as he came close enough with his roaring charge I went Sammy Sosa on his ass.

I swung the limo.

_POW!  
_

He was sent flying straight into the concrete side of a skyscraper across the road.

_CRASH!_

I glanced at the massive dent in the limo, and shrugged.

"Oh well, the rich bastards can buy another one."

I aimed and charged at the behemoth, still stuck in the building side, using the limo as a lance.

_CRUNCH!_

ARGH!" he grunted as the front half drove him deeper into the concrete as the rear part of the car was smashed together. I put both hands on the rear bumper, and push with super-strength. Not only did it drive deeper into the wall, it caused a few sparks to fly from metal rubbing metal, just as the gas tank burst.

**FOOOOOOOMB!**

I was pushed back to the parking lot by the force of the fiery blast. I soon regained my mid-air balance and hovered in place as the heated air swirled about me. I peered at the dying inferno of the explosion.

I panted, and sweated.

And breathed.

From the smoke, a growl-

"GrrrrraaaAAUUGH!"

_BAM!_

-followed by a blow from the severely beaten and burned Mammoth scattered flaming pieces of limo across the road. His white iris-less eyes narrowed as he roared and charged me once more.

"RAUURGH!"

"Don't you ever give up?"

_THUD!_

With my arms wide and my muscles straining, I caught his massive physique and slowed down his savage assault. But, not one to be subdued, the brute headbutted me in the chin, grabbed my flinching body, and tossed me like a baseball into the side of a minivan.

_CRASH!_

I looked up wearily to see an airborne sports car hurtling towards me.

"Shi-"

_SMASH!_

My leviathan of an opponent took slow deliberate steps towards my current position as a 'Superboy sandwich on two vehicular buns' and lifted the sports car off me and tossed it aside. He grinned as he bent down and picked me up by the throat and proceeded to strangle me.

Mammoth brought his ugly mug close up to mine. He smelled of sweat and cheap deodorant as his nasty grin sent a chill down my spine, "I'm gonna enjoy squeezing the life outta you. Hehehe." He chuckled.

I opened my eyes and wheezed, "I think you're forgetting about heat vision buddy."

The villain dropped me and recoiled like I was a rattlesnake.

_Right, like I had heat vision._

I got up and sped forward with a fist to his gut.

_SLAM!_

"OOF!" he fell backwards and clutched his stomach.

I gripped him by the sides of his costume, flew up above the parking lot, and began to spin faster, and faster, and faster. Soon I launched my wailing adversary high up into the night sky. Mammoth was soon the victim of gravity as he came right down on the roof of the-

**_KRAKA-CRASH!_**

Warehouse.

_R-R-R-R_

As the crack of crushing concrete sounded a large figure speedily zoomed down from the roof and landed on top of Jinx, Fang, and Rancid. Crushing them soundly.

Our trio stared silently at the defeated four for a few moments.

"Well, that's one way to avoid a fight." Beast Boy said, still in shock.

Cyborg grinned as I repressed a smirk before it had the chance to appear.

"But, how did Mammoth- well, get here?" I asked in monotone.

"Yea, and who whooped up on his ass so bad?" the changeling asked in idiot.

"Judging from the way he crashed through the ceiling, I'd say he fell from somewhere way up high." Cyborg attempted to answer our queries.

"Wow, guess I'm a lucky shot huh?" came a confident voice from the hole in the ceiling.

The arrogant newcomer, Superboy, floated down through the gaping orifice in the concrete, an air of satisfaction about him along with the light from the moon seeping in thru the new opening.

"Dude! Nice!" Beast Boy complimented.

"Gotta hand it to ya man," Cyborg said, walking over to Jinx's unconscious body and taking the two hunks of metantrium from her before placing them in a nondescript chamber somewhere on his massive cybernetic body, "None of us have been that good as rookies. Though it does looks like he pummeled on you quite a bit." Cyborg mocked, sighting the bruises on Superboy's physique.

"Yea! Those are some Super-bruises!" the green comedian blurted.

Cyborg, Superboy and I starred.

"Worst pun ever." I sarcassed.

Superboy smirked and shrugged off the awkward moment, "You guys aren't looking in mint condition yourselves." He motioned to scuffs on Cyborg's body and the occasional bruise on Beast Boy's green hide.

"What happened?" I asked, getting these dimwits back on track.

The Kryptonian turned his gaze to me with a mischievous grin, "Well, Miss Poe is here too! Shouldn't you be spying on the JC High football team after-practice shower with that crystal ball of yours?"

My eyes narrowed.

A green turtle hid in it's shell.

Cyborg braced himself, "Man, you have no idea how much she will hurt you!" he warned.

"You didn't answer my question." I enunciated after taking a second to calm myself.

Superboy was quiet for a moment, then with a shrug he simply said, "He jumped me. Said something about kicking my butt cause I was a Titan. We fought, punched, kicked, threw cars at each other, that kinda thing. Then I hurled him back here and you know the rest."

"Talk about irony." I added dryly, "And don't be too flattered by Cyborg's comment, he never saw Robin or I as rookies."

He opened his mouth to retort but his communicator rang. He took it off his belt and flicked it open.

_shwick!_

"Superboy here. Whats up?"

"_Superboy! Starfire and I could really-_

R-R-R-R

use your help!" I finished, diving behind a crate as an explosion formed a crater were I had been a half second earlier.

"_Alright, where are you?"_

"East and a little north of the center of the warehouse." I answered, "Shouldn't be too hard to find the battle, just follow the explosions and gunfire!"

"_Alright! All the rest of us will be there quick!"_

"That's great just get here as soo- What you mean all the rest of you?"

"_Well Rob-"_

_BOOM!_

The explosion of the crate that I was hiding behind cut off Superboy's transmission. Mainly because the concussion of the blast sent me sliding across the warehouse and the communicator jolted from my grasped, shattering as random bullet fire from thugs and non-lethal rounds from guards zipped through the air in swarms of hot death.

"Damn!" I cursed before-

_THU-CLANK!_

I slammed up against a metal support column. I shook my dizzy head and glanced up at what had been my sparring partner for a while now. Apparently the thug's leader, black, tall, strong, with a trench coat that held enough guns to make Keanu Reeves blush, not to mention the afro. He looked like he was straight from some stereotypical Kevin Smith movie, but this tough villain like to be called-

"Hey Robin. Hope you didn't get too banged up! Cuz I wanna blow you ta bits!" the villain said in a deep, rumbling voice, palming another grenade.

I snarled, "DreadKnot, you've got some atrocious one liners, and that's coming from me!" I sweatily retorted throwing a few smoke bombs on the floor, blinding my enemy. I flipped forward over my lost adversary and bounded forward a few yards. I glanced around the warehouse at the battle. Guards vs Gangsters, and unfortunately, the gangsters had real guns. Although, every now and then one would take a starbolt to the chest.

_That reminds me…_

I glanced up. A few groups of thugs had climbed to the rafters and catwalks and where taking pot shots at Starfire.. She danced and aerial ballet around burning streaks of death, all the while gracefully flinging fierce alien fury at her pursuers.

"Damn you kid!" DreadKnot threatening voice brought me back to the fight at hand, "If I can't find you I'll just shoot till I hit you!"

_CH-CHUNG! POW!_

I could tell from the sound, and an explode side of a crate, that my adversary was wielding a shotgun.

I leapt over to his position as the smoke started to clear. The trigger-happy villain was met with my steel-toed boot to his face.

_THWAP! THUD_

He fell down, finally unconciouss. "He was tougher than your average guy." I exhaled, wiping some sweat off my brow. I clenched my teeth.

_Still work left to do Robin, get to it._

After I picked up his hunk of metantrium, I found the nearest group of thugs and sprinted over to them.

One of the baddies noticed, "H-Hey guys! It's-"

_SMACK!  
BLAM!  
CRACK!  
POW!_

I smirked as the guards stood for a moment, dumbfounded before sprawling out unconcious on the cold floor. I heard a few shaken guards sigh with immense relief. I turned my head and produced a grappling hook and aiming it at the largest congregation of villains when I was cut off by an invisible blow to the chest.

_BUMP!_

"Oof!" I dropped the grappling hook and stumbled back a step or two.

"What the hell?" I said looking for my assailant.

A translucent white figure shown in the air for just a moment before materializing into a menacing figure. Tall, large in an athletic way, dark with a black overcoat and fedora, his face was concealed by the shadows from the upturned collar of the coat and the tipped down brow of the hat.

"Hello Mr. Robin, I'm very excited to meet you." He said in an loud, deep, charismatic voice, alot like _his_ voice, "I would love to chat sometime but right now I'm afraid that's impossible." He said, holding up a pair of gloved fists.

"I don't know who you are, but you're going down with the rest of them." I growled taking a kung fu stance.

"Come on then." He beckoned.

"Rauur!" I flung myself at him. When I reached his person I jumped kicked at his head, landed and punched at his gut with my left hand, and followed through with a right uppercut to his chin.

_SWOOSH SWOOSH THUD!_

Unfortunately for me he ducked, stepped back, and caught my flying fist.

"Too predictable, Robin."

I growled and sent a kick at him, which he easily caught. He lifted me up off the ground and flung me into the wall.

_WHAM!_

I furiously jumped up and whipped out my bo staff at his ambling figure.

"Why Mr. Robin, if you're going to use your weapons, I'll have no choice but to use mine." He stopped his walking advance about twenty feet away and then morphed into the same translucent white as before, and a half moment later I could no longer see him at all.

"What the- GAH!" I said after being shoved into the ground from behind.

"Mr. Robin I do hate to cut our time together short but-"

_CRASH!_

The room shook and reverberated with the crashing of a nearby section of wall. Guns stopped firing, metahumans stopped using they're powers, silence spread as did the dust from the collapsed wall.

And from the smoke a small green changeling came forth.

"Nobody fear, the butt whoopers are here!"

"BB, that was pretty lame." Cyborg said.

The battlers regained their wits, and their trigger fingers.

_RRRRATATATA!_

Bullets soared at the entering Titans-_  
_

_FSHING!_

"Now isn't the best time to discuss Beast Boy's lameness." Raven said behind a shield of black telekinesis that was busy catching random bullets.

"Friends! HIYAH!" Starfire called as she blasted an attacker. "Your timing is most impeccable, there are many foes to be fought and Robin is in peril!" she said pointing to my disabled and floored person and my assailant above me.

I blushed.

My adversary bent his hidden face down and whispered ruggedly, "Well kid, too much attention, here's where I take my leave. See ya around!" he went translucent and then disappeared entirely.

As I stood up Cyborg halted his dash beside me.

"You OK man?" he taunted, "Cause from what I saw you were the damsel in distress."

"You saw wrong." I said solidly, willing the red away from my face.

"Titans!" I roared over the sound of bullet fire. "Lets clean up this mess!"

**D-D-D-D**

My gang and me was being lead to the police vans, headed for jail. As one armored cop put a hand on my head to help me duck I barked at him.

"AI! Yo man that's sore! Can't ya let a brotha be? Besides," I grumbled, "No need to go messin up the fro."

Soon I was locked up in one of a whole bunch of police vans. Lotsa bruised up brothers was giving me dirty looks, but most of em was just looking down, sad. But it wasn't all bad, my main man Tony was right across from me. The guy was always commin' up with crazy schemes and plans to get the job done. He looked over at me with them cold, calculatin' eyes of his.

"What now, boss?" he asked for real, not tryin' to be wiseass.

"Well, we gotta wait till we can breakout." I answered, but then I lowered my voice so no cops could hear the next part, "But, between you and me, it's betta fo us that Jinx and her gang got away with the real stuff."

Tony just gave me a weird look, "What you talkin bout boss?"

I smirked, not really answerin' his question, "I wonda how long it'll take them Titan kids to figure out they done been fooled by that Jinx lady."


	4. Lessons

_**Lessons**_

_SHWANG!_

In a half moment I was there in the room before him. I stepped up tall, deliberate, and proud to the bottom of his throne.

His red eyes opened slowly.

"What is your purpose here Balthazar?" he spoke venomously. His voice, though utterly human, had a slight similarity to a hiss.

Too bad I had long since stood unimpressed before voices like his, men like him.

He was a just another person.

"DreadKnot and his gang have failed, Sir." I reported, slightly smug.

"They have failed on their first try, how disappointing. However I hired DreadKnot and his mercenaries because he doesn't give up, ever." He stated as if it was common knowledge, an aftertaste of arrogance abundant in his speech, "But, I do not have patience to sit around waiting for results much longer."

His red eyes stared directly through my yellow sunglasses, past my eyes, into my mind.

Too bad the door was locked.

"Hopefully the money I've hired you with will prove to have been a better investment. Go Balthazar, retrieve me the stones I need, and you will have your reward."

I bent my head in a slight bow of respect, "Yes, Sir."

I turned and with a quick flash of light,

_SHWANG!_

I was gone.

_SHWANG!_

I appeared on top of a hill overlooking a suburb of Albany, New York. I reached into my back pocket, pulled out a cell phone and pressed eight.

The phone speed dialed the number and rang twice before the line picked up.

"Yes, this is Balthazar. Yes Sir, his plan is still on track. Of course Sir."

_Beep_

I hung up.

I turned around to face the highway just behind me.

I smirked.

_SHWANG!_

S-S-S-S

Sunlight seeped in through my open window and reflected off clean white walls.

My eyes slowly opened and I glanced out at the yellow sun.

I blinked.

I threw off the sheet and popped my back. It was then that I saw my image in the mirror on the back of my door.

My hair was a mess, and I could have used a shave. I had sleep in my eyes and I stood with a lazy I-just-woke-up-leave-me-alone posture.

Lesson One; about not being a morning person: Don't leave you're bedroom windows open, the sun has a habit of waking up early.

I sat back on my bed with a thud. I crossed my legs into the lotus position and closed my eyes, as was my custom. There, like every morning, I meditated diligently…

…for about a half second.

I smirked to myself as I got off the bed and stretched with a large yawn. I went over to my dresser and got out a clean pair of boxer-briefs along with another uniform and I laid the articles on my dresser. I then sleepily walked the few steps over to my stereo. The clock read 9:18 AM. I grinned. "Time to wake up Conner…" I pushed a button and the machine switched to CD mode. I went to track 8, turned up the volume and pressed play.

A quiet bout of melodic strings met my ears for a few seconds, before raging mad guitars roared out of the speakers, shaking my room slightly and echoing throughout the still quiet tower. The ass tearing rock continued to blast the grogginess from my brain. I moved over to my sink and, with super speed, shaved and brushed my teeth. It was about that time I heard a loud-

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!_

I smirked._  
_

"Wow, this music is so loud I'm sure I would never be able to hear if anyone was knocking on my door!" I yelled at the door, being a general pain in the ass.

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!_

"Ah don't do this to me again dude!" came the whine of a shape shifter whose room was closest to mine, "Just turn it down!"

Of course, I responded by turning up the volume more.

Lesson Two; about living with a morning person: We're asses when we wake up.

"DUDE!" he yelled through my door. I snickered and pressed the repeat track button, as the song wasn't a long one.

_KNOCK KNOCK!_

"Yo! Man turn that crap down!" came Cy's angry voice.

"Dude, he won't listen to us! Ugh! I'm gonna go get Robin!" Beast Boy threatened.

"Yea, you better man."

I snickered with delight.

"That won't be necessary, I'm going to make sure this clown gets the picture." Came a different voice.

I sweatdropped.

_FSHING!_

Black energy tore my door from its hinges and hurled it down the hall over the cowering Beast Boy and Cyborg. Raven stood just outside my door, her absolutely emotionless glare a little angrier than usual.

"Superboy, if you don't stop doing this every morning I am going to… ugh." She cut herself off and covered her eyes, after all, I was still just in my boxers from the night before.

I smirked "What's wrong babe? Don't tell me you haven't seen guys in less than this. I know what you do with that crystal ball on those long cold ni-"

_FSHING!_

_CRASH!_

A black flash of power hurled me forcefully into my stereo, and the world spun in front of my vision.

"There," Raven said dusting her hands off, "now I can meditate in peace." She stalked off.

After she was safely gone the three of us guys started laughing.

"That was so worth it!" I chuckled, climbing off my broken dresser and shattered stereo.

"Yea, but dude, you deserved every bit of it! You asshole!" Beast Boy laughed/glared coming over to help pick up my scattered clothes.

"BB's right, Conner." Cyborg added as he set my door back on the hinges, don't ask me how he repaired all that damage so fast, c'mon, he's Cyborg!

The three of us walked out of my room and we shut the door behind us.

"So, what are you going to do about having your stuff trashed?" Cyborg asked curiously.

"I'm… going to go take a shower for starters." I said as I headed in the general direction of the nearest bathroom, as one hadn't been put into my room yet.

Cyborg and Beast Boy just stared at my retreating form. Thanks to super hearing I heard Cyborg mutter after I had turned the corner, "I dunno bout you BB, I like Conner. But he can be an ass."

"Totally. At least, he's not as bad as Speedy."

"Heh, yea. Or your pansy-ass tofu."

"HEY!"

"Yo, speaking of breakfast... who's cooking it?"

_S-S-S-S_

I eyed the tools on the counter before me. A pan, a carton of the eggs, a loaf of the bread, a toaster, and something Cyborg referred to as a 'spat-chu-lah'. My glance next encompassed something humans call 'the O-ven.' 

_Alright Kori, do not panic. This is a simple human task… _I mentally conversed with myself.

My nervous glance was cast over the alien tools once more.

I sighed.

"Since you are able to subdue a rabid Chimera from the island planet of Dreynor, then you are most certainly capable of preparing a native human 'breaking of the fast.'" I reassuringly told myself.

Myself did not listen.

I sighed once more, "Merely take it one klugrom at a time."

Lesson Three; about living ones life on a different planet: The Earthen kitchen is a most confusing place to be.

I took the pan and placed it on the O-ven. I studied the selection of identical dials and finally chose one to turn. I reached over to the carton of the eggs and produce a small white oval. I held it up to my face and scrutinized.

"Please, how does one open such an immaculate contraption?" I asked the oval, knowing very well that it would most likely provide no answer whatsoever.

Suddenly a tremendous sound liken to a million hissing Thaclumar beetles reverberated through the Tower... coming suspiciously from the direction of Superboy's room.

With an "Eeep!" I jumped and the oval flew from my grasp, sailed gracefully through the air, and crashed on top of Cyborg and Beast Boy's precious Gamestation. I gulped once I saw the shattered husk and the gooey yellow insides all over the earth technology.

Lesson Four; about living on a planet filled with fragile things: Many, many, many different earth items can be easily broken in many, many, many different ways.

R-R-R-R

I glared through my eyemask at the photos of the crime scene.

Lesson Five; of Crime-Fighting: Criminals are a cowardly, suspicious people. So in order for justice to gain an edge over crime, it has to be brave and intelligent.

_Where could they have disappeared?_

I thumbed through the official report that I had read at least four times last night. I found the page I wanted and read part of it mentally.

Jinx, Mammoth, Johnny Rancid, and Fang, four notorious criminals that, after being subdued, managed to escape without a trace from the crime scene last night. No clues are evident as to how they managed to escape or to where they may have been heading.

I squinted my bloodshot eyes behind my masked and yawned. My tired, wandering mind produced an image of the mysterious Vanishing Man from yesterday. And just what the hell did he have to do with anything going on last night? I thought hard on it but… my mind just couldn't make any more connections.

With a sigh I temporarily surrendered. I set down the report, got up, walked over to my bed and, without even removing my uniform, laid down for some sleep.

My eyes closed, my muscles relaxed, tension flowed out of my body in waves and my pulse gently beat throughout my being. My breaths evened out. My mind began to wander…

Starfire, the Cave, Raven, Gotham, Cyborg, the Tower, the Titans altogether, Beast Boy, … Terra, ….Slade.., red fire, a red night sky, Bruce, Alfred, superheroes, Superman, Metropolis, Gotham City, Steele City, the short lived Titans East, Speedy, Aqualad, being a sidekick, being a superhero, growing older, growing older with friends, growing old with loved ones, growing old with… Starf-

I was brought back to the domain of the conscious by the sound of howling speakers and electric strings rumbling thru the Tower like an enraged stampede of sound.

Then my mind focused only on one thing… Superboy.

I clenched my teeth and clasped my pillow over my ears, drowning out the sound. I began to relax again as I tried to meander back to dream land. Then the volume rose, and my pillow became much less effective

Lesson Six; of life in general: Murphy only had the tip of the iceberg, anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, and everything that can't possibly go wrong, will go wrong anyway.

I tried for a few more seconds to block out the sound before tossing the pillow aside and angrily crawling out of bed. I stomped heavily to the door and was about to open it when-

_whir_

"Oh! Hello Robin!" Starfire chirped, "Good the morning to you. May I interest you in a meal..."

Now I liked Starfire but,

Lesson Seven; about having an alien for a housemate: Don't let them cook. Ever.

"Thanks for the offer Star but I-"

"… of the traditional Earthen variety?" She finished without paying any heed to my interjection, and I wasn't quite sure if she did what she did because of naiveté or from foresight. I wasn't quite sure what to say. Breakfast sounded nice, especially a breakfast that was created on good old 3rd rock from the Sun. But, the big question on my mind was, could Starfire cook an earth breakfast? I had to do something…

"Thanks Starfire but I'm not really that hungr-"

_Gruuummmggg_ my stomach growled.

I sweatdropped.

Starfire giggled lightly.

"Yeah, sure, I'd love some breakfast Star." I said feeling tired, defeated, and homicidal to a certain teen with an **S** on his chest.

The alien red head clasped her hand together excitedly, "Wonderful, may I inquire as to how many unborn poultry infants you desire?"

I sweatdropped, "I'll take three… eggs. Thanks Star."

"You are most welcomed, as soon as I gain the dining desires of our friends I shall begin preparing."

"Awesome." I exclaimed tiredly, with a hint of sarcasm. "Would you called me when it's ready Starfire? Thanks a bunch." I yawned, "I'm going to catch a few Z's."

B-B-B-B

I came back into my room after being rudely interrupted from my slumber by Superdouche's random music blaring. Don't get me wrong, Superboy, or as we called him around the Tower, Conner (short for Kon El or something like that… which is weird considering Conner is longer than Kon El, but anyway) is a good enough guy once you get down to it. But damn, sometimes he's such an ass it isn't even funny.

At least he isn't as bad as Speedy.

I took off my nightshirt and my flannel pants and dressed into my uniform.

I was about to head out the door when my glance fell over my own radio.

A smirk played across my face before I literally slapped myself.

_C'mon, Cyborg would totally kill me!_

I decided not to invade everyone's audio-orifices with my blaring tunes as Conner had done, but I did put on burnt CD and pressed play. An upbeat slightly techno/jazz tune reached my pointy ears as I lounged on my bed for a few more minutes before someone came to get me.

_knock knock knock_

Too late.

I got up, pressed the stop button on my radio, and opened my door with a whir.

"Hello Beast Boy. I am preparing for all of us a traditional earth morning meal. However, it is well known that you are not omnivorous in nature and so I need to ask the question, how many of the meat substitute replicas of unborn poultry infants would you be prepared to consume this morning?"

"I'll take two tofu eggs Starfire, thanks for asking." I smiled.

Lesson Eight; of having an emotionally abundant alien cook your food: Avoid it whenever possible, but never say no. You never know what they might wreck if they're sad.

"You are welcomed, I will now go inquire my curiosities to the other Titans." She said before floating off. I sighed, and pressed the play button again. I sat down on my bed and relaxed.

_R-R-R-R_

"Azarath Metrione Zinthos

Azarath Metrione Zinthos

Azarath Metrione Zinthos"

"Friend Raven?" Starfire whispered quietly.

Lesson Nine; of interrupting me when I'm meditating: Don't.

"Friend Raven," Starfire whispered cautiously, "I am-"

"Making breakfast, right? Thanks Starfire but I'll just make myself some tea when I get done meditating."

"But Raven, it is a traditional earth breaking of the fast! Are you sure you do not wish to participate?" she asked, her voice was no longer whisper, but still forcefully calmer than usual.

My left eye opened and it's brow rose, though Starfire couldn't see any of that since she was behind me. The wind on the top of the Tower blew thru my blue cloak, causing it to flap gently in the wind.

"Yea, okay, I'll have one of, whatever you're fixing." I said curiously.

She lost her cool, "Oh magnificent! I shall make positive that your cooked unborn poultry tastes best of all!" She shouted before hugging my thin body and flying swiftly back down the tower.

I rubbed my arms where she had hugged/bruised me with her alien strength, "This should be interesting."

"Azarath Metrione Zinthos"

_S-S-S-S_

_Robin wants three, Beast Boy wants two, Raven wants one… Oh! Hehehe, it is ironically amusing how the numbers line up!_ I thought pleasantly to myself as I floated speedily down the halls.

I had known Beast Boy would take the task of consuming my earth breakfasts, he and Cyborg were the only ones there to try my first attempt at the 'cakes of pan'. Despite their polite comments, I could tell from observing their odd facial expressions that my confections did not have the taste deemed normal for that particular food stuff. Although, unless I miss-observed their facial expressions and body language, my 'cakes of pan' did not have a displeasing taste, and I believe myself to have been living on earth for long enough to correctly gauge my friends physical responses. I smiled confidently with that thought.

"This time I will get the taste of the earth food exactly right! They will not be able to tell the difference! …because there shall be none! No differences whatsoev-"

"AAH!" Superboy yelled as I flew into him.

"YAH!" I gasped as we both fell back onto our posteriors.

"Oof! Heh, imagine running into you here." Superboy, or as he preferred us to call him when no civilians could hear, Conner, said as he got up and shut the door to the bathroom behind him. He had fully changed into his uniform and since his nighttime apparel, to which I was still shocked at the abundant lack thereof, was in his grasp I had assumed he had just finished a shower.

"My apologies for the accident Conner! Although it is fortunate that I have met you here. I am preparing a traditional earth meal and wish to know how many of the unborn poultry infants you desire to ingest!"

"How many of what?" Conner asked blandly.

I found that he had a dry, sarcastic sense of humor that was ever present in his attitude. In an obscure way it was similar to Raven, except cruder and much, much louder. A few of my other teammates have even conversed with me on that subject. But he has always been most jovial, jocular, and usually polite with me.

"I shall repeat the part of my query in question-

S-S-S-S

"-How many unborn poultry infants can you foresee yourself consuming this morning?" she repeated herself.

Now, of course I had understood what she said, even on the first time. Yes I know, you all think I'm some kind of raging idiot. Well, you'd be right, but I'm not a stupid raging idiot.

But I kept on a confused face, "I'm sorry, Starfire, one more time."

_S-S-S-S_

I was quickly becoming suspicious, I smirked, "Conner, you wouldn't happen to be putting on a charade of Beast Boy and his lack of vocabulary would you?"

He could no longer keep the straightness of his face.

"Snnnnch-HAHAHAHA! Yea, ya that was it, you caught me Starfire!" he laughed knowingly.

"Hehehe," I laughed not so much because I found it funny, but because he thought I honestly believed he was portraying our shape-shifting friend.

He may be clever, but he isn't too cognizant of some things.

"Well, I'd like it if you'd cook me four eggs Starfire."

"Very well, I have only to attain Cyborg's desires."

"Well then, Rock on!" he chuckled.

"Huh?" I asked, genuinely perplexed.

"Uh, nevermind Star, I'm gonna go put these back in my room." He said gesturing with his undergarment.

"O the K, I shall see you shortly!" I called as Iwe flew off in different directions.

And as I floated, I thought.

I have come upon something that I find most odd about the human male. They all have varying degrees of openness towards females about certain subjects. And while technically Conner is not of the human race, he was raised by them. Or, at least, I believe he was.

Now that I ponder on the subject, I do not believe I know anything about Conner's life before the Titans, besides that he is the cousin of the legendary 'Man of Steel' that is.

I shrugged it off and continued my former train of thought. What caused the idea to resurface in my mind was Conner's undergarments.

From the week and one-half we have all spent with Conner, he seems very open and likes to make himself and his ideas known and does so with unabashed delight. While not necessarily a bad thing, it can be a nuisance sometimes and I find it occasionally irking. Raven and Robin find it that way more often. For example, always playing his 'music' in the mornings.

Beast Boy on the other flimbar, while as loud as Conner, is not so open. For example, the first time I did the laundry with some of his undergarments in it, he became furiously embarrassed for quite a long time. Seven bremlarks if I recall.

Robin on the other hand is neither embarrassed nor open with things of this nature. While he is not embarrassed by mine washing his undergarments I doubt he would have wielded them so openly has Conner had just done.

Although, X'hal be true, while I do not experience any emotions out of the ordinary when washing anyone else's undergarments, I still become slightly… flustered when washing Robin's.

…

Perhaps this train of thought is better left un-explored.

Lesson Ten; about letting your mind wander: Beware the undergarments.

C-C-C-C

My human eye stared down at my plate and what for a Tamaranian passed as eggs. If you were gonna talk about these eggs, and you used the word scrambled, you'd have just said the understatement of the century.

"Well? Go with the head my friends, ingest the unborn poultry infants I have prepared for you!" Starfire commanded playfully.

"Why do you need to call them that?" Raven asked while staring at her plate, a slight wave of nausea dancing on her immaculate stoic-ness.

"Yea, it seems like a lot of work when you could just call 'em eggs." Conner suggested.

"But Star technically is right too." I provided, saving the alien some grief, "It's that whole Tomino-esque thing. Saying it's Gundam when it's really just giant robot anime, right?" I asked looking up from the butchered meal.

Five sets of eyes were giving me weird looks.

"What?"

"Weirdo." Beast Boy muttered.

"Friends, please, delight your taste buds with the wondrous eggy flavor!" The alien pleaded cutely.

Lesson Eleven; about living with the epitome of adorableness… who can kick your ass: You have two undeniable reasons to do whatever they ask you to.

I looked down at the eggs with my human and mechanical eyes. My lower lip whimpered as I saw the massacred eggs down on my plate.

I brought a fork full of eggs halfway up to my face. I slowly opened my trembling mouth. My mechanical arm shaky with trepidation.

Raven watched intently.

Beast Boy had gotten up and walked over beside me, ogling up close with his mouth open.

Robin stared at me, his eye mask wide.

Starfire peered at me exuberantly, smiling wide and biting her lip.

I stared at the fork full of eggs and my mechanical stomach started to turn.

I couldn't do it…

_munch_

I stopped... and we all turned._  
_

"Hey, ya know, this stuff looks like crap, but it's pretty tasty!" Conner's muffled voice broke the tension.

We all stared at the new Titan.

He opened his eyes and met all our unbelieving eyes, "What? Try it." He munched down another fork-full.

We all looked down at Starfire's meal… we ate.

…

"Wow! This is great!" Beast Boy shrieked.

I tried a bite… a second, "Wow! Starfire this is, this is…"

"Egg-tastic?" Raven asked sarcastically.

I stared in her direction, "… Yea! HAH!"

Robin looked up from his plate, "Wow Star, these eggs taste really-"

The alarm sounded.

_Beep Beep Beep_

The Boy Wonder set down his plate, backflipped over the couch, turned in mid-air, and landed by the main computer. His fingers typed in a quick command.

"Titans, trouble! Dr. Light is attacking downtown!" Robin stated.

Lesson Twelve; about fighting Dr. Light: It's a big waste of time.

Beast Boy and I grunted, "UGH!"

"Doesn't that dude ever just stop, he's awful!" Beast Boy groaned.

"Seriously, Robin, Dr. Light isn't trouble… here, I'll take a little drive on down to the bank and kick his ass and withdraw some money so I can buy groceries on the way back." I moaned, "We're outta chips and Dr. Pepper anyways."

"Would it not be more prudent to send Raven to dispatch of the Doctor, she is after all most affective against him." Starfire commented.

"I'm kinda busy right now, maybe later." Raven said laying her empty plate down and picking up her book boredly.

Superboy took in all our responses before adding dryly, "And I though I was the one who half-assed shit around here."

Robin looked at us with a stern face, "Titans, just because Dr. Light isn't our most dangerous adversary does not mean we should take him lightly. We are all going, now. Titans, Go!"

Following his orders, Starfire opened a window and flew out, Beast Boy followed in the form of a falcon and Superboy came up next, closing the window behind him.

Raven came over and grabbed Robin and I by the arms and teleported us down the the garage in the blink of an eye. Once there Robin hopped on his bike and Raven and I jumped in my baby, and we hit the road to beat Dr. Light.

It was an easy fight.


	5. Visitors, Session 1

**Visitors, Session 1**

Black hair, red hair, and blonde hair. Long, short, and medium length respectively.

The three boys were walking up to Titans' Tower with a brisk pace.

The black hair and the red hair were talking heatedly, the blonde seemed quiet.

"-so then she said, 'Bathroom? That way!'" the black hair said, holding in his laughter.

The blonde one laughed silently.

"And that's funny, how?" the red head grunted.

The black hair looked at the red head with thin eyes, "Y'know, you don't have to be such an ass about everything."

"And you don't need to show your ass to everything… Unitard-Weggie Guy."

"Hey! Where I come from this is very fashionable. The ladies would love it." The black hair defended.

"Yeah, up here it's fashionable… as long as you play for the other team." The red head snickered.

The blonde laughed, mouth wide open, but no sound would come out.

I drove by them and slowed, "'Sup boys!" I yell out of the T-Car window.

"Hi Cyborg!" the black hair said.

"Yo." The red head grunted.

"…" the blonde waved with a grin.

"Tower's unlocked, I gotta go into town to get some stuff for the obstacle course."

The red head gave me a look, "What, did the Spandex Kid go ballistic on it again?" His company laughed.

"Heh, naw dawg. It was the new kid. Superboy." I said with a grin.

"Thinks he badass huh?"

"Probably, we'll have to show him a thing or three." The black hair agreed with the red head.

The blonde nodded.

"Well, I'll catch you guys later. BB's still sleeping, lazy ass, and Raven's off doin' her zen thing somewhere. So the Tower's all yours until one of us get back." I said.

"Peace."

"See ya."

"…"

And I drove off.

S-S-S-S

I flew thru the mid-morning air with a sinister grin plastered on my face. I glanced up towards the blue, blue sky and ascended upwards in traditional 'ha ha, I can fly and you can't' mode, even though no one was around to see it. It was late enough that most people had already gotten to work, yet early enough that the day was still saturated by calmness. As I stopped my ascension I decided to take advantage of that fact. I leveled myself out, bent at the waist, aimed for downtown and plummeted at an angle towards the Earth at breakneck speeds.

"WoooooHOHOOOOOOO!" I yelled with delight as the adrenaline pumped thru my body. Air heated by extreme friction rush past me in an invisible swirl.

Down on Earth a young blonde-blue eyed girl was walking her dog. She skipped along gleefully beside her loyal pet. She lifted her head to the sky and noticed something that made her stop.

"Look Lucky!" the girl talked to her dog, "It's a birdie!" she said pointing at a dark figure in the sky that grew larger with each passing second.

Larger,

Larger,

And larger still…

"Wait a second Lucky, that's not a birdie-"

_VOOSH!_

I streaked past them in a blur of red and blue.

"WOOHOO! YEA!"

I pulled myself up over the building tops using the great momentum I had accumulated diving down to the Earth. As I rose up over the skyline of the City I slowed and twirled to a stop in the middle of the sky.

I turned slowly a full 360 degrees and took in the sight of the city, my vision resting on the sparkling Titans Tower.

A smirk played across my lips as the 10AM sun shown down on me.

I whipped out my communicator, "Yo, Robin. This is Supes. Things are looking good. I'm coming off patrol."

_"zzttt… Alright Superboy. Starfire and I are still at the opening of the new park. I think Cyborg should still be out buying the parts we need to repair the Obstacle Course."_

"Yea," I laughed satisfied, "I did mess that thing up pretty bad."

_"Don't sound so smug,"_ The Boy Wonder mocked me, _" because its coming out of your allowance."_

My blue eyes bulge, "Wha-"

Robin cuts me off, _"Anyway, it should be just Beast Boy and Raven. And knowing them; Raven'll be meditating and he'll probably be sleeping, still."_

"Either that or touching himself again." I reply, "See ya!"

_"-Wha-"_ I cut Robin off before he can finish as I smirk to myself.

My eyes lock onto the sparkling Tower.

I tense,

Flinch in concentration,

And zoom towards my target like a blue and red missile.

_R-R-R-R_

I sat atop the roof of the world… or at least that's a poetic description of the roof of Titans' Tower.

Meditating… Calming… Soothing…

Peace.

It feels so good to just sit here and not worry, not restrain, not think.

Just be, without having to try. It's so relaxing.

It's my one time of cleansing, when I take all the good and all the bad and all the enormous amount of annoying and just wash it downstream of my semi-astral existence.

Absolute peace and tranquili-

"So," a roguish, cocky voice starts, "you're thinking about me, right?"

_…Damn._

"Hey! Talking to you."

_… Maybe if I just ignore him he'll go away._

"Ra-aven! Say something!"

_… Ugh, it never works with Beast Boy either._

"What is it, Superboy!" I snap coolly.

He blinks his dark blue eyes at first, and then smirks at having got my attention… what a dolt.

"I asked you a question-"

"No. I do not think about you when I am meditating. I don't think about anything. That's why it's called meditation." I drone.

He sat there for a moment, folded his arms over the **S** on his chest, and said flatly, "You've gotta be thinking about something."

"No. I don't."

…

"Bu-"

"Quiet, Superboy."

The Clone pouted, "He-"

"Silence."

His black brows furrowed, "Fine."

_VOOSH!_

…

I opened a blue eye.

He was gone.

I took a deep breath and went back to my meditation.

Smiling.

S-S-S-S

The blonde stared dumbfounded at the lavish furnishings of the Tower's Main Room, including the humongous T.V., the Quadrillobyte computers and game systems, the mountains of dirty dishes.

In short: Paradise.

The red head slapped an arm around the gawking towhead, "It kinda makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside… in a manly way, doesn't it?"

The blonde nodded mutely.

"Don't get to close, Arse, people might start talking." The black haired one snickered, coming out of the Titan's fridge with a kipped Dr. Pepper.

"Shut your gills." The red head grunted.

The towhead giggled breathily.

I walk into the Main Room and saw them all sitting there, I react as cool and responsibly as would make Clark proud.

_VOOSH!_

"WHOA! What's goin' on?" the red head said startled as I held him by his collar.

"Who are you guys and what are you doing in the Tower?" I boomed, voice shaking the smaller appliances in the room.

…

A moment of silence.

"Well, I was getting a drink." The black haired one said nonchalantly as he popped the cap to his beverage.

"You think you could be a little more serious, I'm being choke held by the Hormone of Steel." the red head said to his friend.

My grip tightened.

"Agghk! Just messin' Superkid, jeeze."

My eyes narrowed dangerously, "You want to get your face melted off, don't you?"

The red head's eyemask widened as he gulped.

Heat vision… great for intimidation… too bad I don't actually have it.

"Hey, man. Just take it easy. We're Titans too. Don't you know the roster?" the black haired one said, taking a step forward.

I glanced at him. He looked familiar, but that didn't mean it was from the roster, "Yea right, like I'm gonna believe that. No self respecting Titan would wear a unitard."

The black hair's black eyes widened, then narrowed in anger.

"Hehehe!" the one I was choke holding laughed.

I grinned at my own joke as well, then I noticed the blond one behind be, laughing breathily.

"What's your problem?"

"Little help, Jericho?" the red head asked.

I glanced sideways at my catch, "Man, I must be squeezing off all the oxygen to your brain, what's this scrawny little guy gonna do to-"

**Fl-FLASH!**

"-me?"

I dropped him.

Wait… I dropped him?

The red head looked at me, "Thanks, Jericho."

"What the hell is your problem?" I growled, "I'm not Jeric-AH!" my hand was held in the thumbs up position. I tried to bring it down, but to no avail.

I couldn't turn my head, but my eyes darted around, I couldn't see the blonde one anywhere, "What's going on? Why the hell can't I move?"

The red head smirked at me, "That scrawny little guy is man handling your ass, Superkid."

"Nice." The black haired one said, they shared a high five.

"I don't know what's going on," I snarled, the menacing effect was lessened by mine unwillingly doing the Macarena at the time, "But once I get control of my body, I am gonna f-"

The door opened with a _whir_.

"-k you guys up so BAD!"

The sleepy Beast Boy walked past the scene to the kitchen, rubbing sleep out of his eyes, "Hey Speedy, Aqualad."

The red head grunted, "Beast Boy, get it straight, we changed our names. It's Arsenal and Tempest now, remember?"

"Yea, yea, yea… Temperatures and… stuff." The changeling mumbled incoherently as he opened the fridge.

I looked over from where I was moon walking and barked, "Beast Boy, you know these fu-"

"Ah man! We're outta Dr. Pepper! Who took the last one?" the green teen, suddenly awake and raging, yelled in fury.

Tempest quickly hid his drink behind his back, trying to look cool, "I have no idea. But I'd be pissed if I was you."

"Yea," Arsenal grinningly growled, taking a seat on a bar stool by the counter, "Hey Beast Boy, what would you give to know who took it?"

"Oh, I'd do almost anything to find and kill the punk who took my Pep-Juice." Beast Boy said solemnly, almost as if he was talking about avenging a fallen comrade.

Tempest gulped and gave the archer a look that said, 'Knock it off.'

The door again opened with a _whir_.

The robed mystic walked into the room, saw the visitors, and opened her mouth to sa-

"Will someone please help me!" I yelled as I did a pirouette across the Main Room.

Raven stared at me, silent.

…

She blinked.

…

She turned. The door reopened with a _whir_.

…

She left, the door closed behind her.

"Raven's got a point." Beast Boy said, temporarily forgetting about his lost soda, "What are you doing, Supes?"

Arsenal and Tempest turned to my muscled form ridiculously performing ballet, me cursing my head off the whole time.

"Oh, right. It's just Jericho." Arsenal grunted.

The changeling's ears perked up, "Oh, you brought Jericho? Sweet! Whats up Jericho?"

I stopped dancing and my hand waved to Beast Boy, "OK, I'm not even freaked out or angry anymore, I'm just annoyed." I grumbled miserably.

Arsenal and Beast Boy roared with laughter.

"I swear I'm gonna kill you guys for this." I growled.

"Give the New-Kid a break, Jericho." Tempest snickered, keeping his laughter to a minimum.

My shoulders drooped as if sighing.

**Fl-FLASH!**

And suddenly, the blonde haired 'Jericho' was standing in front of me, a smirk on his face.

I glared at him and crossed my arms, it felt good to be able to do that again, "You do realize I now hate all four of you."

"Why'd you attack us in the first place?" Tempest asked.

"What? He attacked you?" Beast Boy asked.

"Yea, he's got a good grip too." Arsenal rubbed his neck.

I quickly defended myself, "Hey, I didn't know they were Titans!"

Beast Boy gave me an incredulous look, "Dude, didn't you check the roster?"

I gave him a dead pan look, "Like you've ever seen the roster."

Beast Boy opened his mouth to make a comment, then shut it quickly.

"Thought so." I mumbled walking over and leaning on the side of the couch to face them, "But seriously, I came in here and saw costumed strangers, what was I supposed to do?"

"Maybe recognize us?" Arsenal grunted.

"Hey," I quipped, "He's wearing some kind of unitard," I pointed to Tempest, "You look like a Robin Hood wanna-be," I pointed to Arsenal, "and ballet boy over there is probably your favorite 'merry' man, if you know what I mean."

…

A moment of silence.

…

"HAHAHA! Good one!" Beast Boy slapped the counter with approval.

Arsenal smirked, "OK, there may be some hope for you yet."

"Yep." Tempest grinned, taking a drink of his Dr. Pepper.

Jericho just crossed his arms and shook his head.

Beast Boy was regaining his breath, when he noticed something, "Tempest," he said gravely.

"Yea?"

"What is that you're drinking."

Tempest froze, eyes wide, "Uhhh, well its."

"Well?" Beast Boy demanded.

"Heh… busted." Arsenal grunted.

"I… bought it at the gas station before coming here?" Tempest tried lamely.

"Weak." I laughed with Arsenal and Jericho… though Jericho's was really, weird. Breathy, kinda raspy.

Huh, that's weird.

"I am going to kill you later Tempest. But for now I've gotta call Robin and tell him you're here." Beast Boy warned, stalking over to the computer.

I smirked at Tempest and whispered loud enough for everyone to hear, "Watch out, he'll turn into a gerbil and jump up your as-"

R-R-R-R

"-scinating! Simple fascinating! Two living legends folks! Robin and Starfire! Lets give 'em a big hand!"

The crowd roared their applause.

"Robin," Starfire had to speak up to be heard, even though we were right next to each other, "Why would they be wanting to give us an enlarged hand? Would the owner of said hand not need it?"

"It's another figure of speech, Star. Giving someone a hand is simply giving them applause." I explained as I received the giant pair of scissors from a worker.

"Hey, Robin." The worker said off-handedly, handing me the large scissors. Then he totally ignored me. The worker's attention was focused on, "Starfire!" the 20-something started, "My two daughters think you're the greatest thing since sliced bread!"

Starfire's amber face scrunched together slightly at the term, "Thank you, kindly bringer-of-enlarged-scissors."

"You've always been their favorite Titan. They look up to you."

"I am flattered by your offspring's approval." Starfire said pleasantly, smiling at the complement.

I didn't know who this guy thought he was, be he was definitely getting annoyed, "OK, buddy. Thanks for the scissors but we need to hur..."

__

Across the crowded street, a black limo was parked just beside the edge of the swelling mass of people come to the opening. Unnoticed by anyone, the very back window rolled it's tinted self down just a little, and half lidded, sharp _green_ eyes peered at the two Titans with a hunger known only to few, "There they are Robert, two of the prestigious Teen Titans."

"Yes, sir." Said the driver from the front of the limo.

"I wonder, I wonder what it would be like to have powers like that working for the business. How much easier would that make things?"

"Much easier, sir."

"Your damn right. I can almost taste the power. Ahhh… I wonder… I wonder…"

The man took his piercing green eyes off the two Titans, rolled up his tinted window, and brooded in thought.

__

"Thank you, Starfire!" the worker said before dashing away with the two autographed children's toys.

"And now!" The announcer from before said as the speaker from City Hall finished his boring speech about local economy or something equally boring, "For the ribbon cutting ceremony performed by the fabulous Titan Twosome, Robin and Starfire!"

The crowed roared as the spotlights were turned on us.

I raised the scissors into position.

_SLICE!_

The crowd was beside itself.

?-?-?-?

I ran towards my friends, standing next to an alley in the sunlight nearby the newly opened park, the autographed children's toys in hand.

"Didja get it?" One asked.

I smirked in my worker's outfit, "Oh yea!" I hold up the toys, now worth hundreds each.

My friends and I grinned with greed.

"Well," another started, "Lets get these suckers up on eBay!"

"HAH!"

R-R-R-R

Starfire and I were quickly making our way towards the R-Cycle and away from the cheering hormonal crowds quivering for our attention.

When something completely different did grasp our attention.

A foot wearing a very expensive looking shoe made a soft but noticeable step in front of us as the whole form of a suited business man appeared before us, flanked by two stereotypical guards. Though they may have been relatively unneeded as the man was a good foot taller than Starfire and looked to be in good shape. His face was hidden by a black fedora atop his head, tilted forward to purposefully conceal the identity.

Something seemed… fishy, and familiar.

From underneath my eyemask I raised a brow, "Can we help you?"

From underneath his concealing headwear came a low growl the likes of which put me on edge, "Polite of you to ask, but you already have, my dear children."

His voice put me on edge, it was deep but lofty, smooth but sharp. It was too similar, too much like _his_ voice…

…I slowly reached a hand down to my utility belt.

But before I knew it the man removed his hat to reveal a middle aged face, with short, white hair and a quick, dazzling smile, "You see, you just opened up my new park."

I faultered.

"Oh! Mr. Corso!" Starfire said with unyielding enthusiasm, "How joyous a pleasure to meet you, from the size and grandeur of this park you must be quite the philanthropist."

The Tamaranean had fortunately restrained herself from grasping the businessman in a bone-crushing hug and instead offered her hand to shake.

The businessman suavely took the young girl's hand and kissed it, "The pleasure and joy is all mine, Young Miss. But don't let the press hear you call me a philanthropist, their world might unravel."

Starfire cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"Mr. Corso." I greeted coldly.

The cold-hearted businessman turned to me and took off his Morpheous-esque sunglasses and bore down on me with his sharp, _green_ eyed gaze. It was the gaze of a predator ready to strike, or a devil ready to swindle a man out of his soul, "Ah, Robin. So good to meet you again."

Starfire re-entered the conversation, "Robin, I was not aware you and the famous Mr. Corso were in acquaintance."

I smiled crookedly as Corso's green eyes battled with my the glare from my masked eyes, "Yea, well. It wasn't exactly a… publicized event. Now was it Corso?"

He smiled a sick, business like smile. The kind of grin that might cross the lips of a viper, it set me into a defensive state of mind as he spoke again, "Yes, well. Sometimes things just happen to get, overlooked."

"Like embezzleme-" I was cut off by the ringing of my communicator.

He eye the object and cut in with a venomous quip, "Those things will give you cancer, you know."

Starfire, unknowledgeable of Corso's shady status in the business industry, seemed to trust the corporate snake completely, "Truly?" she breathed with worry.

I opened the communicator, "Robin, what is it?"

Beast Boy's image came up, in the background was the Main Room. The conversation between the four young men behind the changeling had degenerated into a wrestling match between Arsenal, Jericho, and Superboy.

Superboy was winning, but only because he had a hand clasped firmly over Jericho's eyes.

Tempest's wild laughter could be heard off-screen.

A small vein started pumping in my forehead as the orgy of stress from Corso, fanboys, and now this was introducing a lovely migraine to my skull.

Beast Boy winced as Arsenal's retaliation against Superboy broke a lamp in the background, "Uh… Tempest, Arsenal, and Jericho arrived."

My eyemask narrowed, "I see Superboy is…. getting to know them."

"I'll take your pansy-tight-wearing self when you get back too!" Superboy could be heard from the background.

The vein in my forehead grew.

Beast Boy smiled sheepishly, "Uh, just thought you might want to know!"

"Yea, thanks Beast Boy. Robin, out."

As a rock band started up in the background for what was to be an all-day park warming party, Corso moved up to Robin like a snake about to strike, "Did I hear right just now?"

"That depends on what you heard." I snapped coolly.

Starfire had come to sense the animosity between us and had temporarily stepped back, observing with hands clasped.

"Say, Robin. After loosing Jinx and the others at the warehouse fight the other night, the Titan's could use all the good PR they could get."

"The Titans are about protection, not Public Opin-" Corso cut me off, his venom-green eyes flashing with greed.

"-And I could use an event to draw even more people to the opening of this park."

I raised a brow at the businessman, "What are you planning?"

"Robin, Robin, Robin," he turned me around an planted an arm on my shoulder as we started walking, "Just hear me out."


End file.
